betzee



(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. S. BETZER.

BOILER WASHING MACHINE.

m Patewted. Nov. 21, 1882.

' Attorney (Model 2 SheetsSheet 2.

L. s. BBTZBR.

BOILE'EWASHING- MACHINE. 4 No. 267,969. I Patented Nov. 21. 1882.

WITNESSES I oer J J77 a. V w/ Mg Httmney N. PETERS. Phalo-Lihoflnphur, Washington, D4 C.

UNITED STATES QPATENT, OFFICE.

LEMUEL s. BE-TZER, or MEMPHIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO HENRY SEAMAN, on SAME PLACE.

BOILER WASHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 267,969, dated Nover nber 21, 1882 Application filed August 5, 1es2. Moder) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEMUE-L STEELY BET- ZER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Scotland and 5 State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Steam-Boiler WaShingMachine; and I do hereby'declare .that the following is a full, clear, andexact de-. scription of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a longitudinal vertical section of my invention; Fig. 2, a cross-section of the same; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the cylinder; Fig. 4, a top plan view of the same with the cover removed, and Fig. 5 a detail view of the cylinder-supportin g castings andcam attachment. V

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in steam-boiler washingmachines in which a cylinder for receiving the clothes to be washed is rotated in a vessel or boiler containing heated water; and the object of the present invention is to produce such a device that will require less water and consequently less fuel to heat the same, less time and labor to do the washin g, and from its pea euliar construction do little or no damage to the clothes during the process, there being no raw edges against which the clothes may wear orprojections of any sort which would catch and tear the garments in the wash. Atthe same time, the device being simple in its construction, it is easy of manufacture andeft'ectivein its operation. These objects I attain by the construction substantially as shown in the drawings and hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Arepresents a vessel or tank in which the water is placed to be heated, it having a cover, B, provided with a flange, a, and rim b, all formed of the same sheet of metal, by crimping, thus preventing the leaving of any raw edges, or the 5 necessity of soldering the rim to the flange,

also by thismeans avoiding rust and consequent leakage. The flange a,formed by crimpin g, is secured by clips 0 at its several corners, which act as braces to the lid from thepoints and serve to fill the corners out square, thereby giving a neat and finished appearance to the lid.

In the center of and secured upon the bottom of the boiler A is the horizontal portion d of a casting, 0, having vertical arms 6 ex- 5 tending up the sides of the boiler and terminatin g in bearings f for the journals 9 of the clothes-cylinder D, to take the strain off the boiler, the said journal-bearings extending outside the boiler any desired distance. This casting O is also provided with seats h, to which are attached cams E, for the purpose hereinafter described.

The clothes-cylinder D is placed between two castings, F, having radial arms i. Three 6 arms of each casting terminate in a right-an gle bend or toe, 10, which overlaps the cylinder, thereby serving to hold the same in position, and also act as braces thereto by taking the strain off of the rivets by which the castings are secured to the wheel. The fourth arms of the castings do not terminate in a bend or toe, but'extend above the cylinder, and are provided with holes through which passes a rod, m, which serves, in conjunction with the bends or toes of the next arms toward I the right, to hold the upper or smaller section, G, of the cylinder in place, and at the same. time allow of its ready removal for the purpose of putting in or taking out the clothes from the said cylinder without the use of hinges or catches, which are liable to become rusted and break off, thereby rendering the device inoperative. The centers of the castings F are provided with sockets a, in which fit the journals Upon the interior faces of the larger portion-0t the clothes-cy'linderd) are placed sudsing-boards H,'held in place by rods I, which pass through said sudsingboards, the cylinder,-and the castings F, and terminatein a head, 0. These sndsing-boards are provided with alternate ribs 19 and line of perforations q, the ribs 1) of each board being opposite the perforations (1 upon the other, to add greater power upon the clothes by throwing them in a corrugated position when acted upon by the revolution of the cylinder. The rods I pass down along the faces of the sudsing-boards H, to which they are secured, and 7 pass through a slot, K, in the cylinder, said slot being protected by clips r. These rods are provided at their lower ends with rollers s, which give arolling friction upon the clips 4 and cams E when the cylinder isrevolved, to prevent wear. When the cylinder is rotated the rollers s operate against the cams to draw the sudsing-boards toward the center,

and thereby compress the clothes in the said cylinder, the cams being adjusted to or from the center of the boiler by means of an elongated slot, t, therein, and set-screw to en gaging with a hole in the seat h of the casting O, the elasticityof the clothes forcingthe said sudsing-boards back when the rods have ceasedv to act upon the cams. At each vrevolution of the cylinder the clothes change their places and are constantly acted on by the forcing out of the dirty suds and again receiving a fresh supply of water through the ports w formed by a V-shaped plate being set in between the walls of the cylinder below openings upon its periphery, andtheclothes being acted upon by the compressing and releasing of the sudsing-boards operated by the rods and cams the dirty water is forced outwith greater effect than it could be done by the weight of the clothes alone. Also, the ribs of one sudsing-board being opposite the perforations of the other, greater power is exerted upon the clothes by throwing them in a corrugated position.

By the construction of a boiler washing-machine as above described I am enabled to do a large amount of washing with'the use of but little water, thereby making a saving in fuel,

while at the same time the clothes being con-.

stantly agitated and changing their position in the cylinder by its revolutions and the action of the sudsingboards thereon they are washed more thoroughly and rapidly than by the ordinary-machines nowin use. After washing the clothes they may be thoroughly rinsed by placing clean water in the boiler and rotatnear the bottom thereof, substantially as and for the purpose' specified.

3. In a steam-boiler washing-machine, the combination, with the cylinder D,-having removable section G, of the castings F andradial arms z upon each side of the cylinder, said arms terminating at their outerends in a rightangle bend or toe, k, to overlap the cylinder, one of said arms upon each of the castings having connected thereto a removable rod, m, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a steam-boiler washing-machine, the rods I, secured to the castings F, and passing through the cylinder D and sudsing-boards H, andextending down the faces of the said sudsing-boards through a slot, K, in the cylinder, and having rollers 8 upon their ends, in combination with the cams E, against which they operate to give a rolling friction, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a steam-boiler washing-machine, the cylinder D, made in two sections, provided with ports w, constructed in the manner described, slot K, and sudsin'g-boards H, said cylinder being held and braced between the castings I and rotated on journals secured in sockets upon the said castings revolving in the bearin gs f of the casting O, substantially as specified.

' 6. In a steam-boiler washing-machine, the boiler A, having secured to its bottom the casting O, in combination with the cylinder D, castings F, sudsing-boards H, rods I, and cams E, all arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above Ihave hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

LEMUEL STEELY BETZER. Witnesses:

J. W. BAMES, N. M. PEITINGILL. 

